This resin/etched update set from Legend is designed for the AFV ClubM60 series of kits (AF35060 M60A1 and AF35249 M60A3) and gives you the full AVDS-1790 power pack in three main parts plus the conformal fuel tanks and larger radiator and engine piping in resin with various thicknesses of wire provided for the smaller plumbing/wiring. There are also the usual colour photo instruction sheets showing the various stages of assembly. Note the engine in the kit represents the AVDS-1790-2C engine only applicable to the M60A1E2 Rise and the M60A3.

The set contains:

6 large castings in light grey resin

47 smaller castings in light grey resin

72 small resin bolt heads in light grey resin

22 etched brass parts

5 lengths of brass wire of varying thickness

2 lengths of plastic coated wire of varying thickness

1 double sided colour instruction sheet

Resin and metal partsAdditional resin bolt heads

This set is not for inexperienced modellers as the assembly is quite intricate in places and previous experience with using resin updates will be an advantage. Careful study of the instructions before assembly will be advised as some sequences are quite busy but multiple views from different angles in the instructions help to understand the assembly better.

The resin casting is excellent as you would expect from Legend with just the usual casting blocks to be removed before hand with very clean and crisp details on the parts with no evident blemishes on the parts as they come, although some minor air holes were exposed when removing the casting blocks on a few parts. The casting block positions on the smaller items such as hoses and the like has been designed to be facing away or hidden when assembled and this helps reduce the significants of any marks left after the block removal.

Some of the casting blocks on the larger power pack parts are quite substantial and will need careful removal using a model saw, larger clippers, #11 blade or whatever method you prefer and as always this should be done in a well-ventilated area to avoid any resin dust that will result. You also must take careful note of where the casting blocks end and the parts start as there is some overlap, most notably on one end of the upper engine part where the casting blocks overlap the detail and you must take care not to damage the details in the process. The exposed air holes as mentioned will also vary between sets and may not even be present on some due to the nature of resin casting.

Larger Resin parts showing the casting blocks to be removed (in pink)

The main items in the set the three power pack parts, the upper section with intake fans, the lower section and the end transmission, these all fit together precisely after clean-up. The other major parts are the forward engine bulkhead and the left and right conformal fuel tanks with the larger hoses and piping provided along with numerous smaller items supplemented with the etched parts and wire provided.

The smaller parts don't have identifying numbers on the casting blocks only with the part call-out in the instructions so after clean-up it would be advisable to write the numbers on the parts using a fine pen or pencil to avoid any mix-ups during assembly.

The various thicknesses of wire provided go to adding the wiring and plumbing around the bay and on the power pack and again careful study of the instructions and additional reference if you have it will aid in making an impressive assembly.

Resin parts after clean-up of the casting blocks,
note the smaller parts numbered with a fine pen to avoid any mix-ups during assembly.
Three main engine parts after clean-up.Three main engine parts held together with thin double sided tape for this excersize
showing the good fit of the parts.

There are some minor modifications needed to the AFV Club kit parts prior to assembly as noted in the instructions, these mainly being opening up two holes in the rear hull plate and on the inner side of the air cleaner boxes. The AFV Club kit is already basically set up for an engine compartment with the side openings for the air cleaner piping and separate doors/hatches as well as separate torsion bars already provided which makes adding this update easier.
For that reason, the Legend set doesn't include resin doors as they are not needed.

Legend also do an engine compartment set (LF1344) for the DragonM48/M60 series kits which contains the same main power pack/fuel tank parts along with the piping as well as additional smaller parts to fit the Dragon kits, this set also includes resin engine bay and rear hull doors as these will need to be cut away from the Dragon parts to install the Legend engine set.

Conclusion:

This is an impressive update set for the AFV Club kits with clean crisp resin casting that provides all the major and smaller items needed to represent the compete engine compartment and AVDS-1790-2C Engine. There is considerable prep work needed to remove the large casting blocks on the major parts but nothing a bit of care won't fix.

The instructions are quite busy and careful study before assembly should avoid any major issues with the resulting engine and compartment building into an impressive assembly if you want to add the heart to your AFV ClubM60A1 (with modifications to RISE config) and M60A3 kit